Our Correspondent
Kohima, Feb. 18 (EMN): Members of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) took up the issue of ‘Power Reforms in Nagaland’ on matters of urgent public importance on the fourth day of the ongoing 7th session of the 13th Assembly on Thursday.
The members, who took part in the discussion, pitched for reforming the Power sector considering the fact that it is incurring heavy losses to the state. It was revealed that INR 407 crore was spent on power purchase during 2019-2020 while the revenue earned stands at INR 157.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said appropriate decision was required to remove electricity from the ambit of communitisation, stating that ‘Communitisation of electricity management under the Nagaland Communitisation of Public Institutions and Services Act, 2002’ was implemented through the Village Electricity Management Boards (VEMBs) in rural villages and the Urban Electricity Management Board (UEMBs) in Urban areas.
He maintained that metering of individual households within the VEMB areas could not be implemented, which resulted in under billing and there were huge revenue losses. He added that the UEMB, in a large scale, is only implemented in Mokokchung town at present adding it is curbing losses in terms of revenue.
He asserted that the UEMB of Mokokchung are relatively doing better than VEMBs. He, however, stated that there was strong resistance to the implementation of government of India’s initiated Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (RAPDRP)-IT project in Mokokchung town for computerised billing and online payment facilities.
Rio also stated that communitisation, which empowers the public in delivering public services, the retail/ business objectives (i.e. the supply and realisation of revenue), were mostly considered as welfare activity that resulted in poor revenue collection.
Meanwhile, he pointed that ‘The Nagaland Communitisation of Public Institutions and Services Act, 2002’ came before the ‘Electricity Act 2003 (EA 2003)’ and both the acts are contradictory in so far as metering of individual households are concerned. While section 55 Clause 1 of the Electricity Act 2003 implied all the consumers to be mandatorily metered as electricity is a measured commodity, while communisation was not, Rio stated that it becomes a conflicting provisions posing challenge to effectively manage electricity revenue.
He, therefore, stated that electricity is a concurrent subject where both the central and state governments have a role to play. He added that opinions of all the states including Nagaland was taken while enacting the Electricity Act 2003. Pointing out that the Electricity Act 2003, and the Nagaland Communitisation of Public Institutions and Services Act, 2002, are both an Act, Rio stated that an appropriate decision was required to remove electricity from the ambit of communitisation.
Rio called upon all other revenue related departments to come out with their outsourcing policy to improve revenue as well as service delivery.
Dimapur and Kohima districts alone consume about 70% of electricity supply. Rio lamented that payment culture of the people has not improved with heavy power theft coupled with rich people especially in Dimapur district wilfully not paying electricity bills.
He maintained that outsourcing of metering, billing and collection was required in the two cities in the first phase followed with Mokokchung and Wokha districts in the second phase and the remain other towns in the third phase.
Minister for Public Works department (PWD), Tongpang Ozukum, who initiated the discussion on the floor, stated that the discussion was pertinent so as to create more awareness among the leaders and the consumers and know more about the difficulties faced by the department while also coming up with a road map for the future.
Asserting that Nagaland is lagging behind others, he stated that the power sector was not an exception. Since that problems have been accumulated from the past, he said that the department could not make any headways despite its utmost efforts.
While citing an example of Arunachal Pradesh on how it is it generating power and has become a major source of revenue, he pointed that the Nagaland hardly generate 15% of its requirement.
He stated that individuals as well as governments departments are major defaulters of non-payment of electricity bills, which according to him was nothing short of power theft. While the state has achieved 100% electrification, which was a feat in the Northeast region, he stressed on the importance of understanding the problem faced by the power department and to come out with certain mechanisms to solve the same.
Advisor of Power department, Tovihoto Ayemi, congratulated Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on taking over the charge of NERPC chairman and exuded confidence that he would bring about a huge transformation in the state and the region.
He informed that the department, after so many years, successfully bifurcated the four dynamics- Transformation and Generation (T&G), and Distribution and Revenue (D&R) headed by a chief engineer each. Ayemi also presented some of the issues faced by the department such as shortage of meter readers, billing, collection and non- payments of bills including the government departments.
In this regard, the advisor informed that the department of Power had proposed an action plan to improve the revenue, which was subsequently approved by the cabinet. He added that outsourcing process would be done through a well registered company with sound financial and management capabilities. He stated that the department would work out detailed procedures and technicalities, redeployment of staff for vigilance, monitoring, supervising among others so as improvised and reform the power sector in the state.
Leader of Opposition, TR Zeliang emphasised on the need to bring out a formulated power policies in the state with the use of technology in the working of the department saying, ‘It’s very difficult to check- man to man.’
He further put forth suggestions on the use of solar energy and promotion of the same to meet the power shortage.
MLA Vikheho Swu suggested upscaling power generation from rivers stating that ‘there is huge potentials’ even from mini-hydel projects.
He stressed on the need for a paradigm shift or structural changes with focus on rural areas and added that strict and prompt accountability by the department would help improve the revenue generation.
Minister of Planning and Coordination, Land Revenue and Parliamentary Affairs, Neiba Kronu, maintained that besides Power department other departments need to improve revenue generation. He stated that Nagaland has the potential to generate big power projects from rivers like Dikhu with 186 MW, Lower Tizu with 42 MW and Zungki with 24 MW.
He further informed that DPR is under preparation for Upper Tizu for generation of 25MW.